Ethics helps us every day determine what is "right" and "wrong", because they are the values ​​of conduct imposed on an individual by a larger group, usually the Company. Ethics has also been called moral philosophy. Ethics and morality tend to be confused and used interchangeably, but there is an important difference that should be noted. Morals define personal character and therefore generally remain unchanged within an individual, while various groups may dictate different ethics. With the emergence of technology in the 21st century, the study of ethics, particularly applied ethics, has increased in the number of relevant topics. A common example is the case of illegal music downloading. Obviously this is a crime, but due to the lack of persecution for those who participate in this form of theft, the perception of it is very different from that of someone who physically steals an object. Ethics becomes even more complicated when laws are not applicable to a given situation. This provides an opportunity for ethical and moral exploration in an increasingly popular area of ​​technology: video games. Now fully integrated into Western culture, video games are no longer intended only for children. Young adults are a growing demographic in the gaming world and the demand for more sophisticated games has increased as a result. These players are not only looking to have fun, but also to distract themselves from reality and investigate multiple ethical dilemmas. Historically speaking, with a relatively short lifespan, video games were not traditionally known for including ethics as a major element of a game, until recently. More and more games today have content that explores ethics, such as the desire to... middle of paper ...– as toxic » and the lack of consequences for simulated crimes can also be toxic (Ludlow and Wallace 92). Gaming companies like EA, by not enforcing stricter rules and punishing those who break them, are essentially saying, "The law only applies if we want to enforce it." If we don't do this, there is no law and everything is permitted. » The anarchic attitude that this message sends can be dangerous both to the morality of the players committing the crimes and to the gaming business itself, even if the games' popularity has not yet declined. Works Cited Ludlow, Peter and Marc Wallace. The Second Life Herald: The virtual tabloid that witnessed the dawn of the Metaverse. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 2007. 89-107. Print.Cogburn, Jon and Mark Silcox. Philosophy through video games. New York: Taylor and Francis, 2009. 73-91. Print